Dedicate Pipes For Each Type Of Tobacco

We hear this question often, should we dedicate a pipe for each type of tobacco?

There are basically three different categories of pipe tobacco; aromatic, Virginia and English. Each has it's own characteristics. As each is smoked they will impart it's unique flavor into the porous briar and cake of the pipe they are smoked in.

The more the given tobacco is smoked in the same pipe the more of it's flavor will linger behind. When a different type of tobacco is smoked it will be influenced by the tobacco previously smoked. This effect can last for the next 5 - 10 bowls and in extreme cases the pipe will have to be thoroughly cleaned to remove the previous flavors.

A pipe that is used to smoke many different types and blends of tobacco will eventually become very bland tasting. If you have the luxury of several pipes it would be a good idea to dedicate a pipe or two to each type of tobacco to avoid tainting your smoking experience. There are some pipe smokers that will go so far as to dedicate a pipe for each brand of tobacco.

While this may be extreme, it would be great to have at least 1 pipe dedicated to your absolute favorite tobacco blend. By doing so you'll experience the taste of the tobacco in it's purest form.

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Preparing Flake Style Pipe Tobacco

There are many ways to prepare flake style pipe tobacco (pressed and sliced) for smoking, here are a few tips.

First you'll need a good flake pipe. A good flake pipe has a narrow, deep bowl. Preferably 5/8" - 3/4" diameter x 1"+ deep. The most basis way prepare the slices is to put them in the palm of one hand and cover with the palm of your other hand and rub your hands together until the flakes break apart. This is called "rubbing out". Generally, the more you rub out a flake the more mellow it will be and less you rub out the flake the more intense the flavors will be.

This is the whole flake method. First note in which direction the "grain" of the tobacco is going in the flake. Cut a piece or pieces of flake against (at 90 degrees) the grain and equal to the depth of your flake pipe. Take the entire flake of tobacco and roll it up into a fairly tight tube or roll.

If done correctly the ends you have cut will be the long ends of the tube. The diameter of the roll of flake tobacco should be slightly less the diameter of the tobacco chamber of the pipe you will be smoking. If not, roll another piece of flake over the first. Place the roll into your pipe and press it down with a tamper with just enough force to flatten the top. Light as you normally would and enjoy!

This is the "sandwich" method. Prepare the flakes in the same manner as you learned in the whole flake method except this time take two different types of flake and roll them together. The possibilities are endless. Try a Virginia flake and an English flake or a Virginia with an aromatic flake. You might want to tone down a strong flake that is overwhelming on it's own with a milder flake.

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Five Question and Answer for Age Pipe Tobacco

1. Why should I age my pipe tobacco?

There are as many reasons to age pipe tobacco as there are questions concerning how to.

1. Simply put, well aged and properly stored pipe tobacco will be the finest you will ever smoke;
2. We have all experienced the demise of one or more our favorite blends. Aging provides a hedge;
3. You will save a lot of money by buying now at current prices. The price of pipe tobacco is constantly rising due to manufacturing costs, the cost of raw tobacco and production increases and new taxes. Buy now and save later;
4. New laws are aimed at limiting and completely doing away with online tobacco sales that we now enjoy. Buying online is so threatened that if the current crop of laws pass we will no longer be able to make online purchases of tobacco with the next 12 - 24 months.

2. Which type of pipe tobacco benefits the most from aging?

Virginia type tobaccos are decidedly the best prospects for aging followed by English style tobaccos. Aromatic pipe tobacco, in our experience, benefits little if any from the aging process.

3. Where should I store my aged tobacco?

Your aged tobacco should be stored in the coolest and darkest place in your abode. Light and heat are the 2 biggest enemies of the aging process and should be avoided at all costs. Your storage area can be as simple as thick paper bags under your bed or spare closet to a dedicated, climate controlled room similar to a wine cellar and everything in between. Replicating the environment of a wine cellar would be the ideal scenario. Wine and pipe tobacco both thrive in the same temperature, conditions and humidity. Humidors designed for cigars, whether walk in or otherwise, generally are much too humid for pipe tobacco. Cigars need 70%+ humidity while pipe tobacco does well in 30 - 40% depending on the type of tobacco. Igloo type coolers work well for storing your aging pipe tobacco.

4. How long should I age my tobacco?

The minimum length of time that you will notice any significant benefit of aging is 6 - 12 months. Your aging pipe tobacco will really start to improve at the 18 month mark and approach the sublime at about 36. After 36 months the aging process will slow a bit but will continue. We have found properly stored pipe tobacco as old as 30 years that is absolutely extraordinary. There is no such thing as over aging pipe tobacco as long as the tobacco is stored properly.

5. What should I store my aged tobacco in?

There are many ways to store your aging tobacco. If the tobacco came in a sealed tin simply mark the date on it and put it away in your "cellar". There are also many affordable tinning machines available for home use as well. A search for "tinning machines" on a major search engine like Google will reveal many choices. Mason jars and canning jars work well when sealed properly. Vacuum sealed bags are another option. Well sealed vacuum bags have an unprotected usable shelf life of about 18 +/- months. They will work very well for many years if the sealed bags are kept in a climate controlled environment such as a wine type cellar, humidor or another sealed container like an Igloo cooler. Well sealed bags also serve to press the tobacco which has benefits as well.